Vulnerability Assessment of the Chamelecón Bridge Through the PIEVC Methodology Following the Climatological Events of ETA and IOTA
摘要
Honduras grapples with heightened vulnerability to extreme climatic events, a consequence of its geographical location, exemplified by the impactful arrival of hurricanes ETA and IOTA in 2020 Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) and the Civil Engineers College of Honduras (CICH) executed the Protocol for the Infrastructure and Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) on four Honduran bridges. This same protocol was applied to assess the vulnerability of the Chamelecón Bridge post-hurricanes, aiming to furnish reliable data and enhance resilience against the adverse effects of climate change. To score and categorize risk according to the PIEVC tolerance threshold scale, the analysis of climatological events such as hurricanes and tropical storms positioned the Chamelecón Bridge. The application of the PIEVC protocol was proposed to dispel uncertainties regarding the bridge’s vulnerability to these phenomena. Furthermore, the probability of occurrence for events like hurricanes and tropical storms, coupled with the vulnerability of the Chamelecón Bridge, was determined to estimate the frequency of each event. The Chamelecón Bridge scored 6.32 points on the PIEVC tolerance threshold scale for hurricane analysis, falling below the 12-point threshold, indicating a low level of risk. For tropical storms, the bridge received a score of 4.49, representing a negligible risk level. And at last, the probability of occurrence for hurricane events was determined to be 12% (6 out of 50), while for tropical storms, it stood at 8% (4 out of 50).